Sweden thinks so, as several companies are experimenting with 6-hour workdays. They’re reporting greater profits, happier employees, and, perhaps surprisingly, more productivity. With North Americans typically working an average of 8.7 hours a day, it’s hard not to be envious of our Scandinavian counterparts.
The length of the workday has evolved over time. The Industrial Revolution saw the boom of factory work and middle-class jobs. Most people employed at factories worked an average of 10-16 hours a day, six days a week. This didn’t change until Henry Ford implemented 8-hour workdays for his employees in 1914. This standard has stayed the same since.
Maybe the rest of the world should take a cue from Sweden and re-evaluate the standard workday. Employee needs have changed since the early 1900s and it’s time to accommodate new norms and working conditions.
